Private finance initiative condemned

Hospitals built in the United Kingdom through the private finance initiative do not take adequate account of local needs and have contributed little to hospital design, says a new report from the King's Fund, an independent healthcare charity. The scheme also involves considerable risks for hospital trusts.

The private finance initiative was introduced by the Conservatives in 1992 but was continued by the current Labour government. It is now the government's main way of financing hospital building projects. Thirty two have already been funded through this scheme, even though …